This invention relates to holsters, and more particularly to an improved safety strap for holsters.
Holsters commonly have a safety strap for holding a firearm in the holster. Safety straps typically extend over the hammer or across the frame of the firearm, and a snap ring fastener on the safety strap is releasably secured to a cooperating snap ring fastener on the holster. In many holsters the female snap ring fastener is located in an upper region of the holster and projects into the interior of the holster. As a result, the firearm repeatedly comes into contact with the fastener when the firearm is removed from or replaced in the holster. By way of example, holsters are typically formfitted to the shape of the firearm so that the firearm makes an exceedingly tight fit in the holster. When removing or replacing a firearm from such a holster, the user virtually cannot avoid drawing the firearm across the projecting safety strap fastener. Such repeated contact eventually results in scratching the barrel or cylinder or slide of the firearm or abrading away the protective finish of the firearm. The firearm is susceptible to corrosion because of such wear. Thus, it is common for the firearm owner to periodically have the protective finish reapplied, i.e., "re-blued", to avoid corrosion or other damage to the firearm.
For years the problem of wear caused by repeated contact with the safety strap fastener has been a problem for firearm owners. The problem is especially significant to law enforcement officers who are constantly removing and replacing their firearms in their holsters during duty and even off-duty during target practice, for example. It is an unfortunate result that many expensive firearms must be refinished because of such wear inasmuch as refinishing of the firearm significantly diminishes its value. For example, to re-blue a firearm, the firearm must be disassembled, the edges of the metal are often buffed away prior to chemically applying the protective finish, and it is quite apparent that the surface has been refinished. All of this leads to a reduction in the value of the firearm.
Further, the cost of refinishing a firearm can amount to 25-30% of the original cost of the weapon.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a holster safety strap which prevents wear from repeated contact between a snap ring fastener and a firearm.